A Conspiracy Called Tata Sky????

when i googled tatasky, i found this. Are these true???

Issue #1 Hardware Ownership: what am I paying for?

* You don't own the dish, Tata Sky does

That's correct. They will never advertise this, nor will the dealer tell you about it when you make the purchase. The dish belongs to Tata Sky, if you deactivate they take back the dish and the digicard.

* You do own the Set-Top-Box (STB) but it's worthless without the dish

The purhcase you make is only for the set-top box. You will get a receipt for the set-top box and the renewal card. The Tata Sky engineer will bring the dish with him at the time of the installation. The dish transmits the signal from the satellite to the set-top box, also called satellite receiver, or in Tata Sky's case - the digicomp. In UK, it's called the digibox. The set-top box by itself is of no use without the dish.

* In fact, if you deactivate tomorrow, they may take away both the dish AND the set-top box

This was the most shocking bit of information in the contract that Tata Sky wanted me to sign at the time of installation. Clause 11.3 of the contract explicitly states that Tata Sky can remove all the "hardware" from my place at the time of deactivation of service. It doesn't define what hardware is or makes any distinction between dish and digicomp.

If you are a Tata Sky customer and you wish to stop the service tomorrow, by signing that contract, you have permitted them to take away the set-top box for which you paid in full. Don't believe me? Call up customer support and ask them to read out clause #11.3.

Issue #2 User Privacy: what about my rights?

* They store all your usage information - how you watch your TV, what you watch, for how long and when

The contract states that Tata Sky may store every aspect of how you use their service. This allows them to create your detailed profile which will include your TV watching habits, how you order their premium services and so on. They already have all your contact information. Can you see where it's going?

* They can profit from that information by selling it to third parties (read advertisers)

That's correct. By signing the contract you have agreed to let them use that information in any way they choose including making good money from it by selling it to "third parties". You, of course, get no share in this revenue stream. You get something else.

* Be prepared to receive lots of very targeted ads (read spam)

This is the obvious implication of giving up your rights. Tata Sky knows which shows you've set as your favorites, they know what kind of movies you like, the channels you watch or don't watch, how many times you've ordered movies in the last three months. With this wealth of information, advertisers can draw up a pretty good picture of you so don't be surprised to get mailers online or offline that seem to be designed just for you.

Issue #3 Restrictive trade practices: locked away till eternity

* You shall remain locked to receive Tata Sky forever, no Dish TV or another DTH service for you

If you buy a cell phone you expect it to work with any SIM card. Except when you get the phone for a discount, in which case, you can only use it with one particular SIM. You'd think that the same would be true for DTH, but no. With Tata Sky or Dish TV for that matter, even after paying for the equipment in full, you are not allowed to access the other's services. As a Tata Sky customer you are forever locked to receive only their services. This is clearly a restrictive trade practice.

TRAI, the regulatory authority that monitors DTH in India, is apparently working on the interoperability issue. But so far the players can behave the way they wish until the rules come into being. However, even if they allow inter-connection, it will be of little use with Tata Sky as you will lose the dish if you deactivate and perhaps even the set-top box.

* You shall remain devoid of even Free-To-Air channels if you don't renew subscription on time

Free-to-Air channels are supposed to be, well, Free-to-Air. Not so with Tata Sky. If you don't renew the subscription on the due date, by 12 midnight, all your channels will be inaccessible including FTA.

* You shall remain locked to the direction in which the dish is positioned

I called up customer support to ask whether one can somehow receive FTA channels broadcasted by other countries. Turns out, I'm not allowed to move the dish and in fact, it is not movable in the first place since it needs to be pointed at a very specific angle and has no tolerence for error.

* You shall remain locked to the settings of the set-top-box

The user interface of Tata Sky does not permit one to setup alternative settings. There are no explicit options to change settings although a hidden menu springs up if you press the right combination of buttons. (see below for more)

* You shall remain locked to the amount you carry in renewal voucher

Even the prepaid renewal voucher of Tata Sky is designed to get the most out of you. It only comes in the denomination of Rs 550 - which is more than what you need for a month's subscription (Rs 300) but not enough for two month (Rs 600). So at any given time you have Rs 250 always locked up in the voucher whether you want it or not. Perfect for Tata Sky because they want you to pay for their premium services. Not for someone who has no intention of paying for those services.

Not coincidentally, the renewal voucher is the only way to make payment with Tata Sky while Dish TV allows you to pay using several modes of payment.

To sum up all the above, buying Tata Sky digicomp and services was like buying a car which I cannot run on any fuel except the one supplied by the car maker. I must keep buying the fuel from them because if I stop, they can take away my car for which I paid in full!

In US or UK, there's no contract when you sign up for a satellite TV service. The contract only comes in when you get the equipment for free. It's only in India that we are made to sign on these ridiculous terms. What surprised me most in this episode is the utter ignorance about the terms of the contract within Tata Sky itself. The engineer who came for installation said my signature is needed as an authorisation for installation. His team leader I spoke with had no information about the terms. Two senior people in the organisation that the dealer made me speak to prior to refund, also proffered ignorance about these terms and had no convincing answer.

Other things you perhaps didn't know about Tata Sky

* The reception is extremely poor or unavailable during rains. This however, is true about every satellite TV service in the world. Tata Sky makes no mention of it on their website.

* Their toll-free number only works with MTNL / BSNL lines. If you're an Airtel subscriber, you'll have to call an STD number to get customer support. Knowing how long these calls take, the support will end up costing you quite a bit. (You can't go out and call from another phone because you might need to sit next to the TV if they tell you to change some settings)

* In North Delhi, there have been reports that NDPL, also a Tata company, is using force to remove cable connections from NDPL electricity poles causing disruption in the cable infrastructure and forcing cable TV subscribers in 800,000 homes to upgrade to Tata Sky.

* The set-top box that Tata Sky provides has a hidden port to accept PC card but it's been rendered useless since there's no software interface to use it. It's hidden behind a small plate held by two screws at the back.

* They charge you Rs. 1000 when you change a house.

* They will never tell you this but you can watch TV in more than one room with a single set-top box though you'll only be able to watch the same channel on all TVs.

* There is a hidden settings menu in their interface for the technically inclined. Go to Organiser > System Settings > press 0, 1 and <select> button in quick succession. You'll get to DNB settings and other options.

* The Tata Sky set-top box is from Thomson, their remote identical to those you get with SkyTV in UK and the software is from Open TV, the firm that sells software to Sky TV (apparently, it's from NDS). Apparently, no one has been able to hack Sky TV (at least not publicly) to use the service without paying subscription fees.

What can you do to protest?

* Do not purchase their service. If you must, then refuse to sign the contract and demand they respect your rights.

* Flood their customer care centre asking them questions about the three issues: ownership, privacy and restrictions.

* Tell others to avoid Tata Sky. At least until they revise their terms and change restrictive policies. Another thing to remember is that there are other DTH players like Reliance, Airtel and new technologies such as IPTV that are on the horizon.

UPDATE, Mar-7: It turns out, 1-860-425-6633 is NOT a toll-free number either (though one certainly gets the impression). Another fact I forgot to add first time is that the 1-year guarantee does not cover every part of the equipment and only selected parts. Now someone in comments mentions that there are hidden annual maintenance charges of Rs.500 after the guarantee period and that you can land in serious trouble if you do not pay that.

UPDATE, Mar-7 (2): An anonymous user writing in comments below, made a couple of clarifications on Tata Sky's behalf. One - they can only take away "Tata Sky Hardware" (the dish) not the set-top box which is the consumer's property. As I replied below, this doesn't make any difference because the set-top box is useless without the dish. The dish should be the buyer's property and they should be allowed to receive any service they desire. The fact that Tata Sky doesn't allow this and that non-ownership of dish isn't made explicit prior to the purchase is is clearly a restrictive and unfair trade practice created solely to prevent competition.

Second, apparently, Tata Sky recently changed the clause about monitoring usage and now it's an opt-in feature. Why would anyone opt in to avail this is beyond me. Since it's the Tata Sky engineer who fills-in the contract form, how can the user even learn that such an option exists or ensure that it's not ticked after his signature? I certainly wasn't told about this during my installation. Clearly, the idea of the contract has to go. If a provider wants me to sign up and stay with them for a stipulated period, they should provide all the equipment for free.

By the way, this is now officially the most popular post on this blog. Thanks for all the encouragement, please tell others about this post and link to it from your blogs.

UPDATE, Mar-13: I received a comment elsewhere from an existing Tata Sky user that essentially said: "It isn't as bad as you're making it out to be - look, its working fine." I want to respond to this because I think many Tata Sky users might be feeling this way after reading my review.

I agreed early on in my review that the user experience - quality of broadcast and interaction with the features, is indeed superior. However, there's more to a product or service than the immediate user experience. My review of Tata Sky is more about the way the plan is structured and how it hijacks consumer rights.

There are certain assumptions that constitute what I'd call a "fair purchase" of a product or service. I assume that my following rights (among others) are being respected:

1. The right to be explicitly told, prior to the purchase, the product (or product components), and/or service that is being purchased.

2. The right to be explicitly told, prior to the purchase, the terms and conditions - in an easy to understand manner - that constitute the transaction.

3. The right to be explicitly told, prior to the purchase, any important limitations of the product/service purchased.

4. The right to be charged a reasonable price for the product/service and, if there are recurring payments to be made, the right to pay the agreed sum at reasonable intervals rather than in advance without any incentive.

5. The right to have my personal information respected and/or the right to decide if I may allow to share it.

6. The right to receive incentive/s for allowing to share my personal information if I so decide.

7. The right to receive full utility inherent in the nature of the product/service without any restrictions artificially and intentionally imposed.

8. The right to receive a refund within a stipulated period if I'm unsatisfied with the product/service.

9. The right to exit the service without an added cost and/or the right to decide if I may retain the service for an agreeable period.

10. The right to receive an incentive if I decide to retain the service for the agreed period.

Purchasing Tata Sky requires a consumer to abandon all the above rights. I believe that the benefits gained by making the purchase are not worth the compromise.

UPDATE, Apr-3: Since this post continues to get a lot of attention, I decided to update it with new information I gleaned recently. Although it might seem that Cable TV subscription costs (around Rs.300/mth in metros) are comparable with Tata Sky subscription (Rs.300/mth), yet if you add all the hidden costs of Tata Sky a very different picture emerges. This is particularly true in case of multiple TVs where Tata Sky is over two and a half times more expensive than cable over a five year period.

Five-Year Cost Comparison Between Cable TV (analogue) and Tata Sky

single TV two TVs three TVs

Cable TV Rs.18,240 Rs.18,370 Rs.18,450

Tata Sky* Rs.24,000 Rs.35,500 Rs.47,000

* assuming you don't relocate and your set top box doesn't breakdown after one year. If either of these happen, add additional cost. See the calculation behind this.
_______________________________________

How was this calculated?

The costs in all cases include hardware, installation, subscription and maintenance costs (at today's prices) over a five year period. Basically, Cable TV is so cheap because it costs next to nothing to connect multiple TVs and because it has no maintenance costs. All you need is a coaxial cable splitter and you can connect as many TVs as you want. Since there is no STB so you don't have to worry about maintenance either.

Note that in case of Cable TV, the only installation expense is the cost of coaxial cable you use from the nearest connection to your house. The cable guy might quote a prohibitive amount for this wire but you have the option of getting your own (it's freely available at hardware stores) at a much cheaper price.

Here is a complete breakup of the costs over five year period for three televisions.

TOTAL Rs.47,000
________________________________________
Bottom Line: If you use Cable TV for three TVs over a ten year period, you save Rs.57,100. Good enough for a home theater projection system. You also incur zero cost on maintenance, zero cost on relocation, you get a larger collection of channels and more protection against price hike in subscription since you can pressure your cable operator but can't do anything if Tata Sky raises the prices.

UPDATE, Apr-26:

Tata Sky Drops 13 Zee Channels Without Explanation

Sometime around end of March Tata Sky stopped broadcasting 13 Zee channels without giving as much as an explanation over the reason behind the draconian action. Well, this is one gets when one surrenders their rights in favor of "excellent picture quality". As much as we all like to hate our cable operator, we'll have to admit that something like this would never happen with cable TV.

As TS user Sampath noted in comments below: "Tatasky makes a tomtom when it adds channels but is radiantly silent when channels are dropped." Apparently they even removed two Neo Sports channels recently, reducing total number of channels to 91 and not 100 as advertised.

Another user Pramila wrote on April 25: "Even today their site mentions that all these channels are available. This is cheating of the first order."

Those who have studied the TDSAT ruling behind this action say that Tata Sky will now save Rs.42 per consumer. However, they have not reduced subscription charges to pass on these savings even though they are quite prompt in increasing the price when additional costs are incurred by adding new channels.

Over the past six months, this post has reached an estimated 100,000 people (directly and through word-of-mouth) and has received over 300 comments. But today all those who have suffered through the hands of their DTH operator have a chance to rejoice. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has just issued DTH guidelines that address almost all the issues raised in this post about six months ago and others identified in the comments.

From December 2007 onwards: DTH providers cannot lock you to use their own hardware - the STBs will now work with all providers. They must provide hardware refunds if the consumer wishes to return it. They must attend complaints of quality within a specified period. Prepayment vouchers must not be only paying mechanism. Providers cannot suddenly cancel any pay channel in a short period and without previous notice. Best of all, you can now choose which channels to watch - you don't have to subscribe to channel bouquet offered by the provider!

This is a major win for all those who have expressed their experiences of poor customer service and deceitful practices of Tata Sky. I'd like to think that this post too made a small contribution in bringing the issues to TRAI's attention. I did contact them several months ago with a copy of this post and comments. Although they were already working on DTH regulation at that time, yet many issues raised in this post were missing from their DTH consultation paper issued in Feb.

These problems have now been addressed. We'll never know if this post made a difference but ultimately what matters is that consumer rights have been upheld and DTH operators brought under control. Tata Sky and other operators can no longer do anything they want making a mockery of consumer rights.

I am sorry I do not agree with everything. There are some points where there is case but not everywhere. I am not a TataSky subscriber so there is no conflict of interest. I will not be able to do justice or reply to all the points in such a long post but here goes ...

Originally Posted by shrihara

Issue #1 Hardware Ownership: what am I paying for?

* You don't own the dish, Tata Sky does* You do own the Set-Top-Box (STB) but it's worthless without the dish* In fact, if you deactivate tomorrow, they may take away both the dish AND the set-top box

What is said is correct. But it is also true that CPE of one vendor (dish, STB, VC) does not work with the other vendor. The question pops up automatically - "why the hell, not?" and a comparison of cell phone is given. Comparing this with cell phone is not a proper comparison. If that be the case, software for Windows should work on Mac also, games for Playstation should work on XBox, etc.

On the second point, the STB is not useless because of it cannot work withot dish; you can buy any aftermarket dish and it will still not work. The cost of a dish+LNB is around Rs.750. But even if you buy a new dish, you will not be able to use the STB because you will still need the Viewing Card (VC) of the original provider. It is useless because its hardware/firmware is tied to the provider's systems. The VC contains the subscriber information and this collected and sent back to the satellite. The satellite and backend system check the user's status and then sends the signal that contains not only the (encrypted) channels but also the method on how to interprete, decrypt, keys, etc. Hence it is very difficult to have interoperability.

But as you are aware that DishTV has started giving STB free with the six months/1 year connection. Soon this will be the norm with most service providers and then this will not be an issue.

Originally Posted by shrihara

Issue #2 User Privacy: what about my rights?* They store all your usage information - how you watch your TV, what you watch, for how long and when* They can profit from that information by selling it to third parties (read advertisers)* Be prepared to receive lots of very targeted ads (read spam)

This is a practice that is followed by all - banks, mobile service providers, DTH, online services, etc. - or to anyone where you have provided your e-mail is and/or telephone numbers. This is a deplorable practice and must be protested against. Meanwhile TRAI has led down the guidelines. You should register for 'Do not call' registry and if you still get calls you can file a complaint with TRAI against the tele-marketing company.

Originally Posted by shrihara

Issue #3 Restrictive trade practices: locked away till eternity* You shall remain locked to receive Tata Sky forever, no Dish TV or another DTH service for you* You shall remain devoid of even Free-To-Air channels if you don't renew subscription on time* You shall remain locked to the direction in which the dish is positioned* You shall remain locked to the settings of the set-top-box* You shall remain locked to the amount you carry in renewal voucher

On point 1 (locked to TataSKY), this is only partly true. You can discontinue. As said earlier, free CPE will become the norm soon and then loosing out on initial cost will no more be the issue.

On point 2 (FTA channels), I do not think this is an unfair policy. Beaming TV services cost the company a lot of money and FTA channels are given as a free add-on with the subscribed services. If you just want FTA channels, you can opt for DD's DTH services.

On points 3, 4 and 5, I do not understand how does it affect the end user as long as they are getting the service they want and are happy with it.

On point 6, you can pay the exact amount by CC or DD or cheque. So there is no fear of paying excess. In fact this is how I pay for my DishTV subscription.

Originally Posted by shrihara

Other things you perhaps didn't know about Tata Sky
* The reception is extremely poor or unavailable during rains. This however, is true about every satellite TV service in the world. Tata Sky makes no mention of it on their website.

Dont know about TataSky, but this is clearly mentioned in FAQ of DishTV. In any case, disruption is only during heavy storms, lightening/thunder and such conditions. This disruption does not last. In any case, there in one other major problem too during such weather, viz., loss of electricity which lasts much longer than satellite signal loss.

Originally Posted by shrihara

* Their toll-free number only works with MTNL / BSNL lines. If you're an Airtel subscriber, you'll have to call an STD number to get customer support. Knowing how long these calls take, the support will end up costing you quite a bit. (You can't go out and call from another phone because you might need to sit next to the TV if they tell you to change some settings)

UPDATE, Mar-7: It turns out, 1-860-425-6633 is NOT a toll-free number either (though one certainly gets the impression). Another fact I forgot to add first time is that the 1-year guarantee does not cover every part of the equipment and only selected parts. Now someone in comments mentions that there are hidden annual maintenance charges of Rs.500 after the guarantee period and that you can land in serious trouble if you do not pay that.

This is true for all services - BSNL/MTNL, Electricity, Call centers for Consumer White Goods, etc. This is because other mobile providers such as Airtel, Vodaphone, Idea, etc. are not providing (or unable to provide or not allowed to provide) toll free services. AMC charges are a norm with all equipment - fridge, TV, W/M, AC, etc. - so why make a noise against DTH equipment? The quantum (amount to be paid) can be debated, however.

Originally Posted by shrihara

* In North Delhi, there have been reports that NDPL, also a Tata company, is using force to remove cable connections from NDPL electricity poles causing disruption in the cable infrastructure and forcing cable TV subscribers in 800,000 homes to upgrade to Tata Sky.

Nothing wrong with that. If I owned the poles I will have the right to remove any external attachments to my equipment.

Originally Posted by shrihara

* The set-top box that Tata Sky provides has a hidden port to accept PC card but it's been rendered useless since there's no software interface to use it. It's hidden behind a small plate held by two screws at the back.

Originally Posted by shrihara

* They charge you Rs. 1000 when you change a house.

How many times in a year will you change houses? Is this not a fair to pay for re-installtion of the disk, checking alingmnets, manpower cost, etc.? We can debate about the quantum but then in some houses the re-installtion may be easy while on multi-storeyed apartments it would be somewhat cumbersome. Finally, do not all other service providers charge money when you shift? For instance, will you expect that Washing Machine re-installation should be done free of cost?

Originally Posted by shrihara

* They will never tell you this but you can watch TV in more than one room with a single set-top box though you'll only be able to watch the same channel on all TVs.

This is so not true. On the extra cost for multiple connections, these are not free for cable TV either. You are liable to pay extra for extra TVs in the home. It is just that this facility is abused. With CAS implementation (where an STB will become a must), you will face the same problem that you currently have with DTH.

Originally Posted by shrihara

There are certain assumptions that constitute what I'd call a "fair purchase" of a product or service. I assume that my following rights (among others) are being respected:

1. The right to be explicitly told, prior to the purchase, the product (or product components), and/or service that is being purchased.

2. The right to be explicitly told, prior to the purchase, the terms and conditions - in an easy to understand manner - that constitute the transaction.

3. The right to be explicitly told, prior to the purchase, any important limitations of the product/service purchased.

4. The right to be charged a reasonable price for the product/service and, if there are recurring payments to be made, the right to pay the agreed sum at reasonable intervals rather than in advance without any incentive.

5. The right to have my personal information respected and/or the right to decide if I may allow to share it.

6. The right to receive incentive/s for allowing to share my personal information if I so decide.

7. The right to receive full utility inherent in the nature of the product/service without any restrictions artificially and intentionally imposed.

8. The right to receive a refund within a stipulated period if I'm unsatisfied with the product/service.

9. The right to exit the service without an added cost and/or the right to decide if I may retain the service for an agreeable period.

10. The right to receive an incentive if I decide to retain the service for the agreed period.

Purchasing Tata Sky requires a consumer to abandon all the above rights. I believe that the benefits gained by making the purchase are not worth the compromise.

I agree to all of the above and this is where the protest must happen.

Originally Posted by shrihara

UPDATE, Apr-26:* Tata Sky Drops 13 Zee Channels Without Explanation

This happened again with ESPN-Star Sports and Ten Sports. This is definitely a bad practice.

Ratan Tata is one BIG FRAUD!

A few months back, I saw this huge public outcry on Tata Broadband - and now have a personal experience thanks to Tata Sky. The one guy we have all grown up respecting has turned out to be the biggest fraud ever:51:. Did he not say at the time of Nano Launch - "We have launched Nano, because we have to keep our promise / a promise is a promise"? Pray tell me where is this @@##$&*&*&^'s promise in the case below...:death:

I subscribed to the 1 year-package, paid 2600 bucks on 23rd of June 2008. Now I am not a TV maniac, so dont really keep track of whats coming & going on TV...all I know is that I paid X amount for X no. of channels that were advertised on that date, and I should have them.

Suddenly I discovered tonight that teh sports channels are out...apparently they have been bundled into a sports platinum/gold packs and are no longer added to my package! I call customer care, and they inform me that they had sent a notice in this regard and the news is true. I need to shell out 450 buks more per year to watch these channels.

Now I have freaked. I paid money boss. I saw X no. of channels in teh drop down list against teh advertised pack, paid online via credit card and "bought" those packages. How dare they remove any out of that lot???? CC says that they have added some extra channels for my comfort - one nepali, one bihari, one UP, one bangla and some others like that..

DID I PAY SO MUCH FOR NEPALI CHANNELS???????:30: I dont live in that country and dont know the language!! What will they do tomorrow - -remove star movies, HBO and Zee Cafe and replace it with Russian State Movies and Azerbaizanian news releases????? Or premium himachali movie channel????:cursing:

I clearly told CC that I had paid in full for the X advertised channels and I want them back. Removing channels like this is akin to Mr. Tata selling Indica's and then sending a letter after 2 months that he wants a wheel back!!! Of course he'd offer a square block of wood as replacement...:31:

I have registered a complaint with the staff of Mr. B N Krishna at CC - incl Mr. Prashant Kr Dixit and Kalpana Biswas. Both apologised but understood that it was a genuine problem, but offered no help. Mr. Dixit went all the way to explain the benefit of having nepali channels instead of ESPN...:32:but thats another story.

I have a reference number to this complaint and I am supposed to get a call by 2 PM tomorrow. Let's see if that happens. I will update in case anything positive comes around. Otherwise this stupid set top box and crappy dish antenna is gonna fly out of my 17th floor window.

All this is happening because the CPE is not universally compliant. They know that if you switch, you will have to pay CPE and installation charges all over again. The added cost (close to Rs. 1500) is not worth just to get a few extra channels.

interesting reading

its indeed to laffable for the cc guy to offer merits of Nepali Tv over Espn ..... this is exactly what we in India accept and subject ourselves to , would this have happened in the Uk or Usa , boy their backsides would have been sued so fast their heads would be spinning, we in india have TOOTHLESS monitoring agencies , and so the customers are taken for a Ride, as for me I do have Tata Sky , but so long as I get to watch my channels I dont bother to look at the finer details , I hardly watch Cricket so dropping Espn and Star Sports doesnt bother me, Yes they wrong to drop channels , but they are just juicing out the customer, since they have a monopoly, now that other channels are popping up Hi time they shaped up

you're next!

@toolman: That's the whole deal dude...I never bothered with whatever channels I had and whatever these guys did in the background. But when they remove something that you generally watch, it hurts. Mind you, the CC guys did not deny the possibility that they may drop Star Movies/HBO/Zee Cafe one fine day if they want to...that is when it hurts.
You do not watch ESPN, but whats stopping these bastards from removing what you do?

All readers: I DID NOT receive the promised call from Tata Sky call centre. And I am not calling again anyway. Its just the window and the DigiComp when my subscription ends.

I have purchased Tata Sky last Saturday evening. While getting the subscriber ID from the CC, I got a call from Tata Sky that they are coming to install it tomorrow, i.e. Sunday. I got amazed as I was not aware that they are working 24X7 and CC guy told me that it will take 2-4 working days.

While purchasing, I asked CC guy that dish and LNB is already installed, so can I get installation charge waived off. He told me since its Tata Sky property, I have to pay the installation. I asked what if I'll have problem with the dish and LNB. He said I have to pay the repairing charge estimated by the technician. Then I insisted that I want new dish and LNB. He agreed but when technician came for the installation, he insisted that I've to go with installed dish as he was not having the new one. I called the CC and they directed that technician to do what customer is saying but he was 'not smart but trying to be' type person, started arguing with CC and me. I told him plainly put your a** out of here without installing/doing anything. I'll see what I can do. Then that idiot installed the new dish and LNB. He told me that someone will come to take feedback for his work and I assured him will get the exact feedback.

Apart from this, my experience with Tata Sky is good. I have raised two query with them and got the call within 30 mins (got resolved). I have taken the 'Super Saver 400' subscription, got 'Education Gold' free for two months and subscribed the 'Annual Lifestyle Gold'. I don't have any sports channel (apart from DD Sports) and I don't bother as usually I'm busy with laptop and my wife is interested in typical Indian serials/movies.

After reading Kamal, I'm thinking that I should ask CC what if they will remove some channels from current list. I am pretty sure that they have mentioned one clause in their book which says the contents of the package will be change any time without prior notice to subscribers. Can't help.

I agree with most of J4K points. You win something, you loose something. The cable guys are charging 750 as security and 250 per month. You'll get first 30-40 channels good and rest are hazy/not clear. If you complaint about the same, they will put the blame to service provider (here Hathway) or start insisting to go for STB from Hathway (again you have to pay 750, so 750 + 750 = 1500 security and 250/month).

I have decided to go for DTH and after going through net, what I got is Tata Sky is better than others. I find that mine current decision (to go with Tata Sky) hold good now, don't know about future and what I'll do if they repeat the same what happened with Kamal. Hope for good.

big conspiracy ... the base package price remains the same although gradually channels are getting removed from that pack and they are creating separate packages for those channels for which we need to pay separately

and 1 more thing .... once u subscribe to any of these packages ... its not possible to unsubscibe them via their website ... there ucst be such options

Last edited by saurav_k; 22nd January 2009 at 09:19 AM.
Reason: Automerged Doublepost

recharge Due-date discrepancy

i am noticing for past few months that they are pushing backwards my recharge due date by few days instead of full 30 days. Since i go for a monthly recharge of Rs.300 being a super saver pack subscriber. This month the alert showed by due date as 22nd sept. and on 23rd i recharged with Rs.300 but when the alert message came it showed by next due date as 17th ! is it not weird. I must get 30 days of viewing and should i not always get by next due date 30 days later. I know they give a grace of 3 days to recharge but then they deduct also those 3 days charge from whatever we pay, in such case, i must get a date 27 days later from the date of recharge!
Can someone explain this? i have registered a complaint with Tatasky and yet to receive a call from them.

//Moderator note: You have not activated your account and hence your posts are going into moderation queue. Please click on the link in the mail you received from the forum admin in your mailbox. Failure to do so will cause all your posts go into moderation.
- just4kix